Dr. Pongsan's Global Media Theory

In my class the other day, the professor quoted his earlier work on his global media theory.  In 1980 while at Rockefeller College in New york he stated:

"Who controls the information controls knowledge.  Who controls knowledge controls the media.  Who controls the media and the airwaves controls the world" (Dr. Pongsan Pantularp,  Faculty of Political Science, Ramkhamhaeng University).  

He later presented the same argument at the School of Oriental and African studies and later again at the U.S embassy in Bangkok in 2006.  He was explaining to the U.S forces that they would not be able to win wars without controlling the media and that their aircraft were useless in winning without controlling the message.

I'd say that he's very right.  All of the money and equipment that the U.S has was not able to pacify Vietnam, Afghanistan or Iraq.  Their superior technology could not change the minds of the public.  

If anyone is reading this, I'd really like to hear some thoughts on whether or not, or to what degree this is true.